As the riders make the trip to China prior to Wednesday’s start of the Tour of Beijing, Tour of Flanders winner Nick Nuyens has been confirmed as the leader of the Saxo Bank SunGard team for the inaugural edition of the event.
The Belgian rider has spent much of the year helping others on the team but will have full backing for the five day WorldTour race. “My form is good after the world championships, and after a heavy Vuelta a España. I tried to recover from these races and I hope to perform really well in Beijing, as it is my last race of the season,” he stated.
“I saw the profile of the stages and noticed there might be some possibilities for me to go for a stage win or even a good GC result. The first goal of the team is obviously to go for a stage win. Then a big GC result might follow by itself.”
Nuyens will be joined by seven other strong riders on the squad. These include two sprinters, the 2011 Vuelta a España stage winner Juan José Haedo and his brother Lucas Sebastian Haedo, who will have opportunity to chase victories on several of the stages.
Also present are the time trialists Luke Roberts and Michael Mørkøv, who could shine in the opening 11.3 kilometre time trial, plus the strong climber Chris Anker Sørensen, the team road captain Jonas Aaen Jørgensen and the young Australian David Tanner.
A number of other teams have already confirmed their lineups, with Tony Martin (HTC Highroad), Chris Froome (Sky Procycling), Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel Euskadi) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) fronting strong squads.
Nuyens knows that a big battle is ahead but whatever happens in the race, he’s got an additional reason to travel. “I’m really looking forward to doing the Tour of Beijing, as it will be my first time in China, so it will be quite a new experience,” he said.
“The race profile looks good, so I expect to have a nice race, with an exceptional atmosphere, as China is known for its enthusiasm and well-organised events.”
Also known is the Quick Step lineup for the race. The squad flew out from Paris yesterday and has an emphasis on youth. Those riding will be the Italian quintet Marco Bandiera, Dario Cataldo, Francesco Chicchi, Francesco Reda and Matteo Trentin, the Belgians Iljo Keisse and Kristoff Vandewalle plus the Dutchman Niki Terpstra.
Directeur sportif Davide Bramati believes the team can do big things there. “Our squad is competitive and contains athletes capable of leaving their mark, both in the stages suited to sprinters and the more complicated stages,” he said. “It's a young team, but this is also why they are eager to show their worth in one of the last races of the season.”
The race begins in four day’s time with an 11.3 kilometre individual time trial from Bird’s Nest to Water Cube. The riders will use normal bikes for the test.
The subsequent stages will finish at Men Tou Gou, Yong Ning Town, Shunyi Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre and Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium.
Tour of Beijing (WorldTour):
Stage one, Wednesday 5th October: Individual Time Trial, Bird’s Nest – Water Cube via Olympic Park circuit, 11.3km
Stage two, Thursday 6th October: Bird’s Nest to Men Tou Gou via North Gate of Summer Palace, 137km
Stage three, Friday 7th October: Men Tou Gou to Yong Ning Town via Thirteen Ming Tombs Reservoir, 162km
Stage four, Saturday 8th October: Yan Qing Gui Chuan Square to Shunyi Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre via Mutianyu Great Wall, 189.5km
Stage five, Sunday 9th October: Tian An Men Square to Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium, 118km